History

Accomac Shire was established in the Virginia Colony by the House of Burgesses in 1634 under the direction of King Charles I. It was one of the original eight shires of Virginia. The shire's name comes from the Native American word Accawmack.

In 1642, the named was changed to Northampton County by the British, to eliminate "heathen" names in the New World. ("shires" and "counties" were essentially the same in England). In 1663, Northampton County was split into two counties. The northern section assumed the original Accomac name, the southern retained Northampton.

In 1670, the Virginia Colony's Royal Governor William Berkeley abolished Accomac County, but the Virginia General Assembly re-created it in 1671. In 1940, the General Assembly officially added a "k" to the end of the county's name to arrive at its current spelling, which is Accomack County. (from Wikipedia)

African American

Accomac Roots is an online resource with extensive African American information about the local area. Includes genealogy, census data, tax lists, indentures, cemeteries, maps, pictures, documents, and sources.

1800 - Exists, but it is not included in Ancestry, FamilySearch, or Heritage Quest Online databases. The original records are held at the Library of Virginia. Microfilm copy: FHL Collection. Abstracts were published in The Virginia Genealogist:

Methodist

Stevenson, Arthur Linwood. Native Methodist Preachers of the Eastern Shore of Virginia: With Supplements Concerning Methodist Preachers and Methodist Preachers' Children Who Have Married on the Shore and a Few Others. [Va.?]: A.L. Stevenson, 1970. FHL Book 975.51 K2s, Film 874182 Item 15.

Court

Curtis, George B. "The Colonial County Court, Social Forum and Legislative Precedent: Accomack County, Virginia, 1633-1639," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 85, No. 3 (Jul., 1977), pp. 274-288. FHL Book 975.5 B2v; digital version at JSTOR ($).

Wawrzyczek, Irmina. "The Women of Accomack versus Henry Smith: Gender, Legal Recourse, and the Social Order in Seventeenth-Century Virginia," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 105, No. 1 (Winter, 1997), pp. 5-26. FHL Book 975.5 B2v; digital version at JSTOR ($).

Genealogy

More than 100 genealogies have been published about Accomack County families. To view a list, visit Accomack County, Virginia Genealogy.

Immigration

The Port of Accomack entry book (1783-1793) has been preserved. Clerks recorded the name of vessel and port of origination, name of master, type of cargo, and amount of duties, but not passengers: FHL Film 1902295 Item 2. Unfortunately, no official passenger lists survive for the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries.

Headright grants identify many Accomack County, Virginia Genealogy immigrants who arrived before 1720.[4] The Virginia Immigration article provides tips about using this source.

Additional resources include:

Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Accawacke [Accomack], Nasswadax Creek, and Accomack County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]

Wawrzyczek, Irmina. "The Women of Accomack versus Henry Smith: Gender, Legal Recourse, and the Social Order in Seventeenth-Century Virginia," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 105, No. 1 (Winter, 1997), pp. 5-26. FHL Book 975.5 B2v; digital version at JSTOR ($). [Some of the individuals involved in this case were imported servants.]

During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 1 British alien living in Accomack County.[5]

Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. FHL Book 975.5 M2c; digital book at Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Accomack County militia officers; see place name index.]

Boogher, William F. Gleanings of Virginia History: An Historical and Genealogical Collection, Largely from Original Sources. Washington: n.p., 1903. FHL Book 975.5 H2bw 1965; digital version at Google Books. [Includes a chapter titled "Legislative Enactments connecting the preceding historic sketch [French and Indian War, Lord Dunmore's War] with the adjudication of the resulting accounts that follow; with the list of officers, soldiers and civilians entitled to compensation for military and other services rendered." For Accomack County, see p. 25.]

Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. FHL Book 975.5 M2c, Fiche 6048997; digital book at Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Accomack County militia officers; see place name index.]

Revolutionary War

Regiments. Service men in Accomack County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Accomack County supplied soldiers for the:

Nottingham, Stratton. Soldiers and Sailors of the Eastern Shore of Virginia in the Revolutionary War. Westminster, Maryland: Family Line Publications, 1995. FHL Book 975.51 M2n.

"Rev. John Lyon Tried by a Court Martial in Accomack County, August 8, 1781," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Oct., 1922), pp. 285-288. Digital version at JSTOR ($).

A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Digital versions at U.S. Census Bureau and Google Bookset. al. 1967 reprint: FHL Book 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Eastern District, Accomack County on page 128.]

War of 1812

List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883; Giving the Name of Each Pensioner, the Cause for Why Pensioned, the Post-Office Address, the Rate of Pension Per Month, and the Date of Original Allowance... Washington, D.C.: Governnment Printing Office, 1883. FHL Book 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, Virginia, Accomack County, p. 58]

Heritage Trail Markers for The War of 1812:

•Chesconessex Creek at Accomack County

•Pungoteague Creek at Accomack County

•Tangier Island at Accomack County

Civil War

Civil War service men from Accomack County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies or regiments that were formed from men of Accomack County.

World War I

Barnes, Alton Brooks Parker. Young No More. [Onancock, Virginia]: P. Barnes, c1994. FHL Book 975.51 M2bp. [Gives a history of World War I from the viewpoint of men from Accomack and Northampton counties who fought in the war.]

Naturalization

Newspapers

Indexed images of the Virginia Gazette (1736-1780) are available online through the Colonial Williamsburg website. In addition, Professor Tom Costa and The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia have created a database of all runaway advertisements for slaves, indentured servants, transported convicts, and ship deserters listed in this source and other Virginia newspapers (1736-1803), see: The Geography of Slavery in Virginia. These newspapers are valuable resources for all regions of Virginia.

Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Accawacke [Accomack], Nasswadax Creek, and Accomack County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]

[1787] Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 & 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 & Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle & Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. FHL Book 975.5 R4sn

Birth

The birth registers of Accomack County, Virginia (1853-1896) have been indexed twice. Petersrow Publishers offers a free surname search of published abstracts on their website. Ancestry's fee-based databases include abstracts.

The Virginia Historical Society's Marriage and Obituary Index, 1736-1820 (newspaper abstracts) is available for free online. Images of the original index cards are browseable, arranged alphabetically by surname.